Washing machine



Oct. 18, 1966 .1. P. zAlDAN 3,279,224

WASHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

J. P. ZAIDAN WASHING MACHINE Oct. 18, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.14, 1965 INVENTOR. Q Z /V United States Patent O 3,279,224 WASHINGMACHINE Joseph P. Zaidan, 1234 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. FiledJan. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 425,444 7 Claims. (Cl. 158-23) This inventionrelates to a washing machine, and more particularly to that type ofwashing machine normally employed for individual family washings.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of an improvedwashing machine of the vertical type characterized by an internallycontained agitator, which acts with a new and improved churning motionto improve and enhance the washing effect, thus rendering the machinemore eicacious in cleaning clothes.

An additional object of the invention lis the provision of a machine ofthis character wherein the entire washing assembly may be rotated atrelatively high speed by the same motor which drives the impellers,simply by the connection of a clutch mechanism.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improvedmechanical movement in relation to the propulsion and actuation of theagitators.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a machine of thischaracter wherein the inner receptacle is relatively tightly sealed andcharacterized by the absence of any drainage opening in the bottomthereof, the water being removed from a series of apertures about thetop -of the receptacle by the centrifugal spinning action of 4thedevice.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of thisnature which is sturdy and durable in construction, reliable andefficient in operation, and relatively simple and inexpensive tomanufacture, assemble, and utilize.

Still other objects reside in the combinations `of elements,arrangements of parts, and features of construction.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out as thedescription of the invention proceeds and-shown in the accompanyingdrawings wherein there is illustrated a preferred form of this inventiveconcept.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a vertical longitudinal sectional line taken through oneform of washing machine embodying the instant inventive concept;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 ofFIGURE 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 ofFIGURE 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along theline 4-4 of FIGURE 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged elevational view of a constructional detail,embodying the clutch mechanism for the device, certain concealedelements being indicated in dotted lines;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line of 6-6of FIGIURE 5 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 7-7 ofFIGURE 5 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 8-8 ofFIGURE 5 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawing.

Having reference now to the drawings in detail, and

ICC

more particularly to FIGURE 1, a washing machine constructed inaccordance with the instant invention is generally indicated at 10 andincludes an outer casing or housing 11, which is preferably although notnecessarily of cylindrical construction. Casing 1.1 has an annularinternally extending flange 12 positioned at an intermediate point onthe inner wall thereof, which serves to support an inner stationaryreceptacle 13 having an annular side wall. The receptacle 13 is alsosupported on legs 14 which are secured in bosses 15 secured to the baseor bottom 16 thereof, the legs being provided with rubber tips 17 or thelike which extend slightly below the bottom of housing 11. A bottomplate 18 is positioned interiorly of housing y11 and secured in anydesired manner, as by welding or the like, to the interior of the wallthereof.l

The upper portion of housing 11 has an inwardly extending flange 19which terminates in the central opening surrounded by a depending rim20, which is adapted for the reception of the usual cover or lid (notshown).

Bottom plate 18 carries an L-shaped bracket including a horizontalflange 21 secured to plate 18 .by means of bolts 22 and an upright orvertical flange 23. A yoke 24 is bolted to the upright member 23 bybolts 25, and carries an electric motor 26 -of any desired conventionaltype and voltage, but which is preferably a two-speed motor. Motor 26 isprovided with current through a cord 27 which extends outwardly through:an insulating sleeve 27 in the wall of casing 11.

The motor 26 has a drive shaft 28 which extends upwardly into -a housing29, the latter being iixedly secured as by rivets 30 or the like to thebottom 31 of an internal receptacle 32. The bottom 16 of receptacle 13is provided with a central opening 33, in which is seated dependingflange of a bushing 34 which contains a sealing gasket 35, the assemblybeing held in position by means of `a lock nut 36. A sleeve 38concentric with shaft 28 terminates in an annulus 39 which is fixedlysecured to the bottom of housing 29, and extends through gasket 35, thusmaintaining the bottom 16 in effectively water-tight condition. Adrainage tube 37 extends from a suitable opening in the bottom, for thepurpose of draining off water in the tube, in a manner to be more fullydescribed hereinafter.

Drive shaft 28 terminates in a worm gear 40 interiorly of housing 29,the worm gear in turn engaging a pinion gear 41 which is mounted on atransverse shaft 42 the ends of which extend exteriorly of housing 29into sealed annular chambers 43 on opposite sides thereof. In eachchamber there is provided a link 44 which is secured in any desiredmanner to the end of shaft 4t2, as by means of bolts 45, and to theopposite end of each link 44 is secured one end of `a lever 46, pivotbolts 47 effecting the securing thereof. Chambers 43 are closed bysuitable end seals 48.

Housing 29 is provided with a pair of extensions 50, in the form oftruncated pyramids, which extend through slots 51 in the bottom wall 31of interior receptacle 32. Extensions 50 are open at the top, and levers46 extend outwardly thereof into the interior of receptacle 32.Elongated slots 52 and each of levers 46 .accommodate pins 53, which areextended through the side walls of the extensions to provide slidablepivotal motion to the inner ends of the levers. Flexible rubber sealingboots 54 surround each lever and its associated extension to maintain afluid tight seal thereabout. The inner or working end of each lever isprovided with an yagitator pla-te 55, which includes a sleeve 56 whichextends over the end of the lever, and which may be secured inadjustable relation thereto by means of a removable pin 57 which extendsthrough one of a series of openings 58 in the end of each lever. Theagitator members are preferably comprised of hard rubber or similarmaterial, and serve when in operation to agitate clothing which iscontained in water contained in the receptacle 32,

It will thus be seen that as the motor is driven the drive shaftconstantly agitates the paddles 55 with a churning up and down eccentricmotion, which thoroughly mixes the soap or detergent and water with thesoiled clothes, and effectively cleanses the same. After the washingoperation has been completed, the inner receptacle 32 may be spun at arelatively high rate lof speed to spin-dry the clothes. Such spinning iseffected by means of a clutch member generally indicated at 60, whichincludes a sleeve 61 which is .mounted on an enlarged portion 62 ofdrive shaft 28, and which is provided with a pair of elongatedlongitudinal slots 63 through which extends a pin 64, which in turnextends entirely through drive shaft 28 and its associated enlargedportion 62. A central groove 62' accommodates the forked end 65 of ashift lever 66, the latter being pivoted as by means of a pin 67 to asleeve 68 which is suitably mounted on one of the legs 14. An extendingshift actuating arm 70 protrudes through an opening 71 in the side ofthe casing 1l. A guide member 72 is similarly pivoted on pivot 67 andhas an upturned end 73 which engages the sleeve 38. This is for thepurpose of aligning the sleeve 38 properly with the upper portion 74 ofthe clutch member, which includes a reduced end portion 75 havinglongitudinally extending flanges 76 thereon. The anges 76 are adaptedwhen the shift lever 66 is raised to engage in slot 77 in sleeve 38, sothat the clutch assembly is rigidly connected with the sleeve.Corresponding tlat portions of shaft 28 and enlarged portion 62 serve tohold clutch member 74 rigidly against rotation, relative to the driveshaft 28. When the clutch is engaged, obviously rotation of the sleeve38 will, through its connection with housing 29 and the connection ofthe latter with t-he -bottom of the receptacle 32, effectively serve torotate the inner receptacle. As previously stated, motor 26 may be ofthe twospeed variety, and when stepped up to high speed the innerreceptacle 32 will rotate at a relatively rapid rate so that watercontained therein is thrown outwardly through openings 80 adjacent thetop of the inner receptacle :by centrifugal force. After the clothes orother material contained in the inner receptacle have been completelyspun dry, the water may be drained outwardly through the drainage pipe37.

In the foregoing simplified modification of the device the clutch lever70 has been shown as manually actuated, and the motor may be manuallyshifted from one speed to another. However, it is to be understood thatsuch shifting may be effectuated in any of the conventional automaticmanners well-known in the washing machine art, by ymeans of a timer anda solenoid shift lever, or in any other desired conventional automaticmanner.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided 'animproved washing machine, which accomplishes all of the objects of thisinvention, and others, including many advantages of great practicalutility and commercial importance, i

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as manymodifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to beinterpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a washing machine, in combination, an outer receptacle having anannular side wall and a bottom, support means therefore, a motor carriedby said support means, said outer receptacle having an opening in thebottom thereof, an inner receptacle including an annular side wall and.a bottom, a housing depending from the bottom of said inner receptacle,a tubular boss depending from said housing and extending through saidopening in the bottom of said outer receptacle, a drive shaft for saidmotor extending through said boss into said housing, a transverse shaftin said housing, gearing connecting said transverse shaft and said driveshaft, an eccentric at each end of said transverse shaft, a lever havingan elongated slot therein connected at one end to each eccentric, saidbottom of said inner receptacle having a pair of openings therein,tapered hollow extensions of said housing projecting through saidlast-mentioned openings into the interior of said inner receptacle, saidlevers extending through said extension, pivot means in said extensionsextending through the slots in said levers, and agitator paddles carriedby the ends of said levers interiorly of said inner receptacle.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein a clutch member is carried by saiddrive shaft exteriorly of said boss, and means are provided for engagingsaid clutch member and sai-d boss for rotating said inner receptacle.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein a iiuid tight seal surrounds saidboss in said opening in said bottom of said outer receptacle.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein a exible boot surrounds each leverand its associated extension in fluid tight sealing relation.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein said clutch member is slidablymounted on said drive shaft, and a pin and slot connection secures saidclutch member to said drive shaft for rotation therewith.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein the gearing in said housingcomprises a worm gear carried by said drive shaft, and a pinion gearengaged by said worm gear mounted on said transverse shaft.

`7. The structure of claim 6 wherein said motor is a two-speed motor,having a high speed for actuating said levers and their associatedagitators, and a low speed for spinning said inner receptacle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,709,238 4/1929Fowler 68-122 2,491,080 12/1949 Bilde 68-131 X 2,568,614 9/1951 Fields68-131 X 2,932,962 4/1960 Stickel 68-13l WILLIAM I. PRICE, PrimaryExaminer,

1. IN A WASHING MACHINE, INCOMBINATION, AN OUTER RECEPTACLE HAVING ANANNULAR SIDE WALL AND A BOTTOM, SUPPORT MEANS THEREFORE, A MOTOR CARRIEDBY SAID SUPPORT MEANS, SAID OUTER RECEPTACLE HAVING AN OPENING IN THEBOTTOM THEREOF, AN INNER RECEPTACLE INCLUDING AN ANNULAR SIDE WALL AND ABOTTOM, A HOUSING DEPENDING FROM THE BOTTON OF SAID INNER RECEPTACLE, ATUBULAR BOSS DEPENDING FROM SAID HOUSING AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAIDOPENING IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID OUTER RECEPTACLE, A DRIVE SHAFT FOR SAIDMOTOR EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BOSS INTO SAID HOUSING A TRANSVERSE SHAFTIN SAID DRIVE SHAFT, AN ECCENTRIC AT EACH TRNSVERSE SHAFT AND SAID DRIVESHAFT, AN ECCENTRIC SAID END OF SAID TRANSVERSE SHAFT, A LEVER HAVING ANELONGATED SLOT THEREIN CONNECTED AT ONE END TO EACH ECCENTRIC, SAIDBOTTOM OF SAID INNER RECEPTACLE HAVING A PAIR OF OPENINGS THEREINTAPERED HOLLOW EXTENSIONS OF SAID HOUSING PROJECTING THROUGH SAIDLAST-MENTIONED OPENINGS INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID INNER RECEPTACLE, SAIDLEVERS EXTENDING